Apparatus for installing an edge piece on a battery plate

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for placing an edge piece on a battery plate includes a feed mechanism which transports a strip of bendable plastic material. A bending mechanism forms this strip into an open top, U-shaped channel. A cutter cuts the channel into an edge piece having a length which is substantially equal to an edge of the battery plate which is to be covered. An in-feed conveyor transports a battery plate toward the edge piece, and a support mechanism supports the edge piece while the edge of the battery plate is inserted into it. The support mechanism then releases the edge piece so that it can travel out of the apparatus with the battery plate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/723,597, filedNov. 24, 2003, which is a division of U.S. application Ser. No.09/671,464, filed Sep. 27, 2000 and patented as U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,753.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for placing edge pieceson battery plates.

Industrial battery plates are wrapped in a sheet of fiberglass mat. Theedge of the battery plate that this mat is wrapped around is protectedwith an edge piece. In the past this edge piece was a pliable strip ofplastic material which was manually wrapped around the edge of thebattery plate and heat sealed to a plastic overwrap. This process islabor-intensive and quite costly.

In an attempt to simplify this process, pre-formed plastic boots wereprovided that fit tightly over the edges of the battery plates. Whilethese boots lowered the cost, they still had to be manually installed.The size of any mass-formed plastic part will not be absolutelyrepeatable. If a boot was too small it would break when it was installedby automated equipment, and if it was too large it would not stay inplace as a battery plate underwent further processing. Installing a bootis made even more difficult because the fiberglass mat does not providea smooth surface to install the boot over. Each time a boot was notproperly installed production was stopped. Thus, it was not possible toinstall these boots with automated equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary prospective view of a battery plate having theedge piece of the subject invention installed.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view, partially broken away to show hiddendetail, of the apparatus of the subject invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, at an enlarged scale, taken on theline 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, at an enlarged scale, taken on theline 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, at an enlarged scale, taken on theline 5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view, at an enlarged scale, taken on theline 6-6 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view, at an enlarged scale, taken on the line 8-8of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view, at an enlarged scale, taken on theline 9-9 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view, at an enlarged scale, taken on theline 10-10 of FIG. 7. and

FIGS. 11 and 12 are cross-sectional views showing how the portion of theapparatus shown in FIG. 10 operates.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, battery plates 10 that are usedin industrial batteries are covered with sheets of fiberglass mat 12.The most common mat material is sold under the name STRANMATT. The matis wrapped around one edge 14 of the battery plate. This inventionrelates to a U-shaped edge piece 16 that is placed over this wrappededge 14 to hold the mat in place on the battery plate.

An apparatus 18, FIG. 2, forms the edge pieces 16 and applies them tobattery plates in a fully automated matter. A roll 19 containing a thinstrip of bendable plastic material 20 is rotatably mounted on ahorizontal table 21. The strip preferably is rigid PVC approximately 1inch wide and 0.030 inch thick. The strip wraps around a guide roller 22and passes through a bending mechanism 24 which bends it into a U-shapedchannel. The U-shaped channel then passes into an assembly station 26where it is cut into an edge piece 16 having a length equal to the edgeof the battery plate. The leading edge 14 of a battery plate 10 is theninserted into it. The plate with the edge piece installed is thentransported out of the apparatus and the cycle is repeated.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-5, the bending mechanism 24 is mounted on avertical plate 25 which is attached to the table 21. The bendingmechanism includes a plow 28 which deflects the opposed margins of thestrip inwardly toward one another to initiate the bending process. Theplow includes a U-shaped trough 30 which is attached to the plate 25.The trough has tapered sides 32 which extend upwardly from the plate 25at the inlet to the plow to a maximum height at the exit of the plow. Adeflector 34, which is suspended from a bridge 36 which is mounted onthe plate 25 and straddles the plow, projects into the trough. Thecorner of the leading edge of the deflector that faces towards thetrough is rounded. The width of the deflector is sufficiently less thanthe width of the plow to permit the margins 37 of the strip 20 to haveroom to be deflected as the strip passes through the plow. In thepreferred embodiment illustrated, the width of the deflector isapproximately ⅔rds the width of the trough. The bottom of the deflectoris separated from the bottom of the trough by an amount equal to thedistance between the sides of the deflector and the sides of the trough.As the strip exits the plow, its margins 37 are deflected upwardly, asshown in FIG. 5.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 6, located downstream from the plow 28 is aseries of bending rollers 38 which complete the bending of the strip 20and which transport the strip through the apparatus. A rubber-coatedpressure roller 40 engages the center portion of the back side of thestrip. Opposite the pressure roller 40 is a forming roller 42. Theforming roller 42 transports the roller through the apparatus. Theforming roller has a squared-off end 44 which is spaced apart from theend of the drive roller by a distance which is approximately equal tothe thickness of the strip. The end of the forming roller acts with theend of the pressure roller 40 to form the bottom element 46 of theU-shaped channel 48 that is being formed. Located on each side of theforming roller, immediately adjacent to its end 44 is an engagement face50. The engagement faces 50 are angled inwardly toward one another asthey extend away from the end of the forming roller.

Located outwardly of the engagement faces 50 of the forming roller 42 isa pair of pinch rollers 52. The ends of the pinch rollers are orientedat an angle which is the compliment of the angle of the engagement facesof the forming roller. The ends of the pinch rollers are separated fromthe engagement faces of the forming roller by a distance which isapproximately equal to the thickness of the strip 20. The edges of thepinch rollers act with the engagement faces of the forming roller toform the sides 54 of the U-shaped channel 48. As can be seen in FIG. 6,the sides 54 are bent more than 900 with respect to the bottom element46. However, the sides of the channel will recover somewhat as thechannel leaves the forming and pinch rollers and it is desired that thesides be permanently bent inwardly at an angle so that they will gripthe edge of the battery plate. As a result, the channel is passedthrough a second set of pinch rollers 56, FIG. 3, which are closertogether than the pinch rollers 52 and do not have a forming rollerbetween them. The forming roller 42 is rotated by a motor (not shown).

As the channel 48 leaves the bending mechanism 24 it passes through apair of side-by-side guide plates 58 and into a spreader 60, FIGS. 7 and8. The spreader opens the channel 48 as it passes into the assemblystation 26. The spreader 60 includes a guide 62 and a spreader bar 64.The spreader bar has a tapered leading edge so that the sides 54 of thechannel 48 ride up on either side of the spreader bar.

Located in the assembly station is a funnel 65 which the spread-openchannel 48 fits over. Referring now also to FIG. 10, the funnel includestop and bottom plates 66 which are attached to an elongate orifice plate68 that extends across the assembly station. The orifice plate has anopening 70 which is large enough for a battery plate to freely passthrough. The plates 66 are angled toward one another to create an outlet72 over which the spread-open channel 48 fits.

Located at the far side of the assembly station is a sensor 74 whichsenses when the channel is fully in the assembly station. When thesensor senses that this has happened, the motor that drives the formingroller 42 is temporarily stopped. In addition, a knife 76, which islocated at the inlet side of the assembly station, is activated to cutthe channel to form an edge piece 16, having a length which is equal tothe width of a battery plate. The knife 76 includes a blade 78 and apiston cylinder 80 which moves the blade between a raised position whereit is out of the path of the channel and a lowered position where theknife cuts through the channel. The knife is pivotally attached at itsbottom to the frame of the apparatus and its top to the rod 84 of thepiston cylinder. This prevents the blade from being deflected as it cutsthrough the channel.

Intersecting the assembly station 26 is an in-feed conveyor 86 and anout-feed conveyor 88 which transport the battery plates 10. Locatedabove the in-feed conveyor, immediately upstream of the assemblystation, is a roller 90 which holds the battery plates down on thein-feed conveyor as they enter the assembly station. The in-feed andout-feed conveyors 86, 88 and the roller 90 are all driven by a motor(not shown).

Also located in the assembly station is a support mechanism 92 whichsupports the edge piece while the edge 14 of the battery plate isinserted into it. Referring now also to FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, the supportmechanism 92 includes a roller 94 which extends across the assemblystation immediately below the edge piece. A stop 96 projects outwardlyfrom the roller 94. The roller is rotatable on a shaft 98 between anengagement position, FIG. 11, where the stop 96 engages the bottomelement of the edge piece and a release position, FIG. 12, where thestop is free of the edge piece. The shaft has a counterweight 99 at itsextremity which is oriented to slowly bias the roller to its engagementposition and to resist rotation away from the engagement position. Othermeans, such as frictional devices or a dashpot, could be used to providethis biasing and resistance.

In operation, as the strip 20 passes through the plow 30 and the bendingrollers 38 it is bent into a U-shaped channel 48 having opposed sides 54which are interconnected by a bottom element 46. As the channel leavesthe bending rollers its sides are spread open by the spreader 60 and itis inserted into the assembly station 26 over the outlet end 72 of thefunnel 65. When the end of the channel reaches the sensor 74 the sensorstops the motor that drives the bending rollers. The sensor also signalsfor the knife 76 to be actuated to cut the strip and form it into anindividual edge piece 16. This edge piece is supported by the roller 94.Furthermore, the stop 96 engages the bottom of the edge piece and holdsit in place.

When the edge piece 16 is cut from the channel 48 and is in place on theroller 94 a battery plate 10 is transported into the assembly station.The battery plate passes through the opening 70 in the funnel 65 andinto the edge piece. Thus, the edge of the battery plate is easilyinserted into the edge piece. The stop 96 and the resistance of theroller 94 against rotation holds the edge piece momentarily in place asthe leading edge of the battery plate is inserted into it. Once the edgeof the battery plate has been inserted into the edge piece the batteryplate continues to move on the in-feed conveyer 86 and is transportedonto the out-feed conveyer 88. The roller 94 rotates to its releaseposition to allow the battery plate with the edge piece installed tomove out of the apparatus. When the battery plate reaches a secondsensor 100, located above the out-feed conveyor, the second sensorcauses the motor that drives the bending rollers to restart and theprocess is repeated.

The battery plates are provided to the in-feed conveyor with the properspacing to arrive at the assembly station at the appropriate time.

The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoingspecification are used therein as terms of description and not oflimitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms andexpressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown anddescribed or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of theinvention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.

1. An apparatus for applying an edge piece to the edge of a batteryplate, comprising: (a) a feed mechanism which transports a thin strip ofbendable plastic material; (b) a bending mechanism which forms saidstrip into an open top, U-shaped channel having opposed sides which areinterconnected by a bottom element; (c) an assembly station whichreceives said channel; (d) a cutter which cuts off a portion of saidchannel which is inserted into said assembly station to form an edgepiece; (e) a conveyor which transports a battery plate having an edgetoward said edge piece such that said edge is inserted into said opentop of said edge piece; and (f) a support mechanism which supports saidedge piece while said edge of said battery plate is being insertedtherein; and then releases said edge piece to travel out of saidassembly station with said battery plate on said conveyor.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1 further comprising a funnel located in saidassembly station to facilitate the insertion of said edge into said edgepiece.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said funnel has an inletopening which is large enough to freely pass said battery plate and anoutlet which fits into the open top of said edge piece.
 4. The apparatusof claim 2 wherein said funnel comprises opposed thin plates.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 2 further comprising a spreader for spreading thesides of said channel as said channel is placed over said funnel.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein said bending mechanism includes: (a) a plowwhich deflects opposed margins of said strip inwardly toward oneanother; (b) a forming roller which fits between said opposed margins;and (c) a pair of pinch rollers one of which engages each of saidmargins and presses it against said forming roller.
 7. The apparatus ofclaim 6 wherein: (a) said forming roller has engagement faces on eachside thereof, said engagement faces being angled so as to bend saidsides such that said sides angle inwardly toward one another as theyextend away from said bottom element; and (b) said pinch rollers haveends with an angle which is complimentary to the angle of saidengagement faces.
 8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said plowcomprises: (a) a U-shaped trough having tapered sides that have aminimum height at an inlet end thereof and a maximum height at an outletend thereof; and (b) a deflector which projects into said U-shapedtrough.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said deflector has a widthwhich is less than a width of said trough.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9wherein the width of said deflector is approximately two-thirds thewidth of said trough.
 11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein saiddeflector extends substantially to a bottom of said trough.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein said support mechanism comprises: (a) anelongate roller which is positioned below said assembly station; (b) astop projecting from said roller; and (c) said roller being rotatablebetween an engagement position where said stop engages said edge pieceof said edge piece and a release position where said stop is removedfrom said edge piece.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising aresistance device which resists the rotation of said roller between itsengagement position and release position.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13wherein said resistance device is a counterweight.
 15. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the cutter is located at an inlet side of the assemblystation.
 16. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the cutter includes ablade and a piston cylinder which moves the blade.